"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" by William Butler Yeats delves into the musings of an Irish fighter pilot (although never explicitly mentioned, likely during WWI) as he contemplates what will likely be his last mission and, as a result, his death.
The poem begins with the airman's acknowledgment of his impending demise at the hands of the enemy. As he prepares himself (and his airplane) to take to the skies, he is well aware that the odds are against him. He will likely die during his mission. After keying readers into his thoughts, the airman then reflects on why he involved himself in the war. Ironically, the airman reveals that he harbors no animosity towards the enemy and feels no sense of loyalty or affection for the people whom he defends. The airman makes it clear that he fights for himself.
The airman also disabuses readers of any notion that he fights for the collective good. He doesn't feel a sense of duty to the public and doesn't care what people think of him. Those two things are typically what drives men to fight in the war; the airman feels neither.
Later, the airman attributes his decision to fly what will likely be his last mission to internal factors, not external factors. Ultimately, he declares that it is his "lonely impulse of delight" that causes him to fight and go up on his last mission. Likewise, his quest for a sense of thrill and personal satisfaction outweighs any other reason for him to fight. The poem culminates in the airman weighing the value of life; he considers the life he has lived against the inevitability of death. In his eyes, life and death are the same side of the coin; they are essentially the same.
